Germany braces for weather extremes: snowy north, warm south

Meteorologists say Germany faces rare weather extremes in the coming days, with large amounts of snow in the north and balmy temperatures in the south.

The national weather service DWD said Friday that a polar vortex is pushing icy air from the Arctic toward northern Germany just as a low pressure front brings wet, warm weather from the southwest.

This could result in a sudden drop in temperatures Saturday, strong winds and heavy snowfall in regions that rarely get more than a sprinkling.

By early next week the temperature difference between the north and south of the country could be as big as 20 degrees Celsius (36 Fahrenheit), meteorologists said.

Mild weather in the south could fuel snowmelt in the mountains and further increase the risk of flooding.

Several rivers in Germany burst their banks this week and persistent rainfall has led to numerous mudslides.